Taking aim
Ty Waterhouse, 14, from Williams Lake, focuses on the target on Saturday morning at Keith Paterson Field at
competing in the provincial outdoor archery championships.
Teachers head back to school without contract
The Canadian Press
Teachers in British Columbia will be returning to the classroom without a contract despite the help of a mediator who spent 13 days this summer at the bargaining table with their union and the employer.
A six-year agreement expired in June, followed by five days of talks in July after the BC Public School Employers’ Association requested the Labour Relations Board appoint a mediator, who met with both sides for another eight days at the end of August. Negotiations are scheduled to resume on Sept. 23.
Tess Riley, who will be starting her second year of teaching at the Cariboo Chilcotin School District, said she’s hoping for a smooth transition to a new contract under the NDP after the former Liberal government stripped contract provisions in 2002 for class size and composition of students, including those with learning challenges.
Years of labour strife followed, with a provincewide teachers’ strike that had students out of school for five weeks in 2014 when the employer imposed a partial lockout that lasted 25 days.
A landmark Supreme Court of Canada victory for the BC Teachers’ Federation in 2016 restored class-size and composition provisions, forcing the government to hire more teachers.
Riley said the uncertainty around the current negotiations is “scary” considering the toxic relationship forged between the union and the former Liberal government, which
was defeated by the NDP in May 2017.
“I’m hoping that in the next few days they’re able to reach common ground so we can roll forward. I think the uncertainty is also really tough for families and people who have to think of contingency plans if something happens,” she said.
Federation president Teri Mooring said the union representing 43,000 teachers is also aiming to wrap up contract talks without any issues reminiscent of past attempts to reach a contract.
“We had hoped, with a new government, that we wouldn’t be in the same position where we’re month-to-month at the table and then a mediator but that’s where we’re at,” Mooring said.
The union is demanding higher wages and class size and composition language in the contract for grades 4 to 12 in some districts around the province.
They include West Vancouver, where a cap of 20 students exists in kindergarten, with a maximum of 22 students in grades 1 to 3 but no provisions on class-size limits beyond that. Those gaps existed before the Supreme Court ruling and the union is now looking to fill them, Mooring said.
While the School Act limits 30 students per class for grades 4 to 12, she said, a school district superintendent and a principal can change that number so it’s not uncommon for high school physical education classes in some districts to have more students.
Data from the federation show its teachers are the second-lowest paid among their
counterparts in other provinces, with Quebec at the bottom, Alberta at the top and Ontario in second place.
Sandra Johnston, lead bargainer of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, said using the Calgary Board of Education’s wages as an average, teachers with five years of education and 10 years’ experience earn $97,372 annually in the province, which has no cap on class sizes.
Mooring said B.C. teachers with similar credentials are paid about $92,000, suggesting the higher salary in Alberta could lure them to the neighbouring province, though Johnston said there’s no indication that is happening.
She said Alberta teachers’ wages have been frozen for six of the last seven years and arbitration aimed at increasing them is set for mid-November, two months later than expected after the United Conservative Party introduced legislation that also delays talks for other public-sector unions.
“They’re expecting to table a budget in October, which has left a great deal of uncertainty for school boards here because they don’t know how much money they will be receiving from government,” Johnston said. “If government reduces funding we might see teachers from Alberta looking at other places for work.”
B.C. Education Minister Rob Fleming said efforts to recruit more teachers are paying off, with 906 out-of-province teachers hired last year, mostly from Ontario, and funding for all 60 school districts was increased for the first time since 2006.
“We’re hiring at a time when we’re making significant adjustments to our school system and other provinces are not, and that may continue to be the case in Ontario, and I think there’s a high degree of uncertainty for teaching professionals in Alberta now,” he said.
As for B.C. teachers’ relatively low wages, Fleming said “that’s historic.”
“We want to work with teachers to get an agreement that’s good for the teaching profession, that’s good for parents and kids. The offer that’s on the table, which we’re going to negotiate, is significantly higher than what the previous government offered.”
James Ellis, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia’s faculty of education, said teachers in the province were the highest paid of all provinces in the 1950s but have slid further down the salary scale.
Ellis said one factor that may have worked against the B.C. Teachers’ Federation during successive rounds of contract talks since at least the early 2000s is its insistence on bargaining class size, adding that in Ontario, for example, it’s been capped by the government, which recently announced the size of high school classes would be increasing from an average of 22 to 28 students over four years.
“If they want to bargain class size that’s going to cost more than wages, probably, because it’ll mean (needing) more teachers and maybe that’s where they’ve come undone,” Ellis said.
Confusion trips up labour reforms
The Canadian Press
Chris Rauenbusch says he doesn’t know if his employer can summon him to work on a day off after a series of sweeping federal labour reforms went into effect Sunday.
“I don’t know if I am entitled to take a break during a 14-hour shift,” said the 39-year-old flight attendant, who heads WestJet’s union local in Calgary.
His quandary follows a request by employers that Ottawa make some last-minute exemptions or delays to its new rules.
The request has left hundreds of thousands of workers and their bosses in sectors from airlines to trucking to telecommunications unclear about whether they are fully covered by the Canada Labour Code overhaul.
As confusion mounted in the lead-up to the changes, Employment Minister Patty Hajdu said certain interim exemptions would apply – at least until further tweaks can be made after the October election – but acknowledged the government was still hammering out who they will ultimately include.
“I can’t actually speak to which employers and which employee classes will be subject to these limited exemptions because that is still being worked out with the department right now, and I’m looking forward to their advice,” Hajdu said days before the regulations started to kick in.
“I’m not certain exactly when I’ll have those recommendations.”
The new rules, which apply to the 904,000 workers in federally regulated sectors from banking to the civil service, usher in a suite of changes that mandate new personal leaves and longer bereavement and vacation periods, among other things.
Industry representatives say some of the amendments would delay shipments, cancel flights and hurt the country’s economy, while labour groups argue they are simply asking for reasonable working conditions.
“If you’re a trucking operation and your shipment gets cancelled, you can’t just send the truck anyway. If somebody is sick, you may need somebody else to go,” said Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). Rules that fail to take that into account mean “the entire Canadian shipping network and supply chain is put at risk,” according to a May 13 letter to the employment minister from an industry association, Federally Regulated Employers –0 Transportation and Communications (FETCO), and obtained by The Canadian Press.
An interim exemption will apply to several rules the transport sector says would kneecap its operations, including requirements that employers give staff a 24-hour
heads-up on shift changes and four days’ notice for schedules, Employment and Social Development Canada confirmed. A mandated 30-minute break every five hours and an eight-hour rest period between shifts will also exclude some workers.
But which companies and employees will remain unshielded by the new regulations remains uncertain.
“It would be very, very specific classes of employees that, if we were to determine, could be exempt. Because ultimately these changes are about increasing productivity, increasing safety standards and work-life balance,” Hajdu said in a phone interview.
Rauenbusch said the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) recognizes that airline workers occupy a round-the-clock
industry and that 24-hours’ notice before a shift change may not always be feasible.
“But just because we happen to be employed in a unique industry doesn’t necessitate simply stripping us of the benefits that the government is trying to afford to workers across the country,” he said.
Kelly countered that wages and longer time-off stretches can compensate for demanding scheduling protocols at airlines, trucking companies and telecoms - where repair and maintenance needs can pop up unpredictably.
“It’s not like employees in these industries are prisoners. They’re often among the most sought-after jobs around because they have other commensurate benefits,” said the CFIB head.
Trucking, however, already faces a serious labour shortage, despite a low barrier to entry. Better benefits could lead to “enhanced recruitment and retention,” the Employment Department said.
Employers expressed frustration with the consultation process after the government agreed to push back implementation by three months from its initial date in June.
“Given that the country is mere days away from Sept. 1, implementation of some of these labour code changes are at great risk of failure. This could have easily been avoided with a proper tripartite process many months ago, or a short delay,” reads an Aug. 28 email from FETCO executive director Derrick Hynes to the Employment Department.
“What we’re waiting for is to hear back from the government around what they feel would be appropriate in terms of granting some temporary relief from some of these changes,” Hynes told The Canadian Press.
The employment minister, “having attended at least one funeral this summer of people that died as a result of a vehicle collision with a transport truck,” stressed health and safety – and reiterated that they go hand in hand with profit and productivity.
Province urges immunization as kids head back to school
Citizen staff
As parents prepare their children for school with appropriate supplies, the province is reminding everyone about the importance of immunizing their children.
During this year’s global measles outbreak, the B.C. ministry of health immediately increased immunizations and collected immunization records for schoolaged children. Through this action the number of children on record as immunized increased by 37,525.
The immunization catch-up program was launched in April and ended in June to ensure children were protected against measles.
There were 1,053 in-school clinics and 3,584 public health clinics held throughout the province.
During the program, 590,748 students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 had their records reviewed and parents of children whose records were not complete were notified.
“The next vital step is implementing the mandatory reporting of the immunization status of school-aged students,” health minister Adrian Dix said.
“Through this new requirement, we are making sure that our public health system is better prepared in the event of another outbreak in schools.”
Most parents are in compliance with the mandatory requirement and before the end of this month parents will be able to check if
their child’s record is complete by visiting the registry at immunizebc.ca.
B.C. has a comprehensive provincial childhood immunization program, which includes coverage for a many diseases including measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, pertussis, polio, HPV, varicella, diphtheria, influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis. If parents don’t want to wait for the registry site they may contact their child’s immunization service provider. Along with public health and school clinics, parents can get their children immunized through a primary care provider or pharmacist.
“I am so proud of our response to the measles outbreak,” Dix said. “I would like to thank parents, educators and public health professionals for rallying in response to prevent the spread of measles. Our work continues. Beginning in fall 2019, all public, independent and home-schooled students from kindergarten to Grade 12 who are enrolled in B.C. schools in 2019-20 will be expected to have their current immunization status recorded in B.C.’s provincial immunization registry.”
The new mandatory immunization reporting requirement increases the ability of public health to respond during an outbreak by quickly identifying those who are under-and unimmunized.
It also encourages parents to ensure their child’s immunizations are up to date.
CP PHOTO
Flight attendant Chris Rauenbusch is concerned about new labour laws that may affect the industry.
Party leaders woo workers on Labour Day
The Canadian Press
Spending time with workers in Canada’s union heartland was the focus for federal party leaders this Labour Day, with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh all in Hamilton, Ont.
Trudeau participated in the annual Labour Day parade there, Singh was to catch up with the participants at the annual Labour Day picnic, and Scheer atteneded the Labour Day classic football game between the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger Cats.
Hamilton has a long-standing connection to Canada’s union movement as the historic epicentre of the steel industry and related businesses. It was there in the 1870s that workers first agitated for the government to legislate shorter work days, an effort that eventually led to the first national union, albeit a short lived one.
Hamilton is also home to five federal ridings: the Liberals hold two, the NDP two and the Conservatives one, with the vote bouncing between all three parties in recent elections.
The riding of Hamilton Centre is expected to be closely fought between the NDP and the Liberals this election. David Christopherson, the NDP MP who has repre-
sented the area for over a decade, has retired, leaving his seat vulnerable.
Meanwhile, the NDP are hoping to take the riding of Hamilton East-Stoney Creek away from the Liberals by counting on support from steelworkers who have complained about their treatment at the hands of the current local Liberal MP.
Singh made a pitch to union workers Monday, promising that
if his party forms government, they’d bring in legislation to end the ability of companies to replace striking workers with temporary employment.
He also promised to immediately raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and ensure better protections for contract workers.
“This is what you get when you get a New Democrat,” Singh said during an event Monday morning in Toronto before he headed to
Hamilton. “You get someone on your side.” Singh was joining Labour Day events in Hamilton at the invitation of the local labour council, while Trudeau was invited by the local chapter of the Labourers International Union of North America, which represents construction workers, among other industries.
In his statement for Labour Day, Trudeau noted his government’s
efforts to improve the lives of workers, pointing to money spent on skills training and legislation to protect collective bargaining rights, among other things.
Canadian workers are the backbone of the country’s success, he said.
“We will always stand up for workers and their families, and make sure they have the support they need to succeed in the jobs of today and tomorrow.”
While unions traditionally divide their support between the Liberals and the NDP, they have historically united in opposition to the federal Conservatives.
Many joined forces ahead of the 2015 election to campaign collectively against former prime minister Stephen Harper, and have united again ahead of the current election.
Scheer was the target of an intense round of negative advertising earlier this year, paid for by the union-backed group Engage Canada.
In his Labour Day statement, Scheer focused, however on celebrating the labour movement.
“When Canadians succeed, our nation prospers,” he said. “On Labour Day, I encourage all Canadians to reflect on our nation’s past, to celebrate the hard workers you know, and welcome new Canadians who have come to Canada.”
Gender could play role during election
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau received a lot of attention with his line about the calendar year when asked why he named an equal number of men and women to cabinet after his newly elected Liberal government was sworn in.
Nearly four years later, the Liberals have made the push for gender equality a defining feature of their mandate, their message and the personality of their prime minister, which could help – and hurt – them on the campaign trail.
Kate Bezanson, an expert on feminist policy, said any government that sets out to disrupt the status quo on equality issues can find itself vulnerable to criticism on
two fronts: from those who think they are spending too much energy in that area, and those who think they are not doing enough.
“There can be a kind of fatigue with those kinds of policies that can sometimes be received as perhaps less understanding of the broader constituency that might be apprehensive about enhancing gender equality,” said Bezanson, an associate professor of sociology at Brock University. On the other hand, setting expectations for change so high can leave a lot of people feeling disappointed.
Katherine Scott, a senior researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said the Liberals made some big moves internationally, such as dedicating $1.4 billion annually to the health of women and
girls, including sexual and reproductive health rights, beginning in 2023 as part of an announcement at this spring’s Women Deliver conference.
She also applauded the Liberals for their $100-million gender-based anti-violence strategy, proactive pay equity legislation, the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and for bringing gender-based analysis into the budget-making process.
“What does that mean for women on the street? That will play out over a much longer time. So when you look at those sorts of questions, I’m not sure how much traction we’ve gained,” she said.
David Coletto, chief executive of Ottawabased polling firm Abacus Data, said he
Wastewater action sought
The Canadian Press
Raw sewage flows into Lake Ontario so often, Toronto tells people they shouldn’t swim at the city’s beaches for least two days after it rains.
In Mission, B.C., a three-decadeold pipe that carries sewage under the Fraser River to a treatment plant in Abbotsford is so loaded operators can’t even slip a camera inside it to look for damage. If that pipe bursts, it will dump 11 million litres of putrid water from area homes and businesses into a critical salmon habitat every day it isn’t fixed.
While climate change is dominating the environmental conver-
sations leading into the federal election campaign, politicians who show plans to stop the dumping of toxic, feces-laden sludge into Canada’s waterways will be very welcome, particularly by the municipal governments for whom the problem is a daily fight.
Mission Mayor Pam Alexis said she is “absolutely hopeful” wastewater will become an election issue, as her city races against time to keep its pipe from bursting. The Conservatives and the Greens have both promised to end sewage dumping, though neither party has said exactly how.
The NDP is promising a national freshwater strategy, building on a private member’s bill introduced
Kelowna man killed in cliff diving mishap
The Canadian Press
Police pulled the body of an 18-year-old man from a lake near Penticton on Sunday morning, two days after he disappeared while cliff jumping.
RCMP say the man jumped off a cliff more than 33 metres above the surface of Skaha Lake on Friday afternoon.
He did not resurface.
Officers from Penticton RCMP with support from Okanagan Search and Rescue and RCMP air service searched the area, but weren’t able to find the man.
The RCMP underwater recovery team found the man’s body on Sunday morning just after 7 a.m.
Police say the teen was from Kelowna, B.C., but he won’t be further identified.
The province’s coroners service is investigating.
by Essex, Ont., MP Tracey Ramsey in April. Part of that bill calls for an evaluation of Canada’s wastewater infrastructure in light of the impact of climate change.
The Liberals have not yet released their environment promises. In government, they set aside $2 billion for water and wastewater infrastructure, and since 2016 have approved $1.5 billion for 1,452 projects, everything from new sewers and lagoons to treatment-plant upgrades and dam repairs.
Environment Canada says between 2013 and 2017, more than one trillion litres of untreated wastewater are known to have leaked or been purposely dumped.
does not expect much campaign talk about feminism – at least not beyond the Liberals trying to convince voters the Conservatives are against abortion rights.
But he does think gender can play into the issue of affordability – a focus for all political parties in the Oct. 21 election. The Conservatives made a play in that area this summer by promising to introduce a non-refundable tax credit for new mothers and fathers receiving employment insurance benefits while on maternity or parental leave.
The New Democrats, who have devoted an entire section of their election platform to advancing gender equity, are once again promising universal, affordable, not-forprofit child care right across the country.
CP PHOTO
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks to supporters at an event in Toronto on Monday.
The Canadian Press
Evacuations new ritual in U.S. South
The Associated Press
It’s become a hurricane-season ritual in the Southeast: When a storm threatens, coastal residents board up homes, load up SUVs and fill highways where the traffic lanes are reversed to offer a speedy escape inland.
For some people, Hurricane Dorian is the fourth storm they have had to flee in four years.
Forecasters are not sure if the core of the powerful system will ever strike the U.S. It is predicted to stay offshore as it spins north, paralleling the coasts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
But if scientists are off by even a few dozen kilometres, the storm could plow onshore somewhere along that route. So more than a million people have been ordered to leave seaside communities, and more evacuations were issued Monday – all the way to North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is aware of the complaints. He opened a news conference Monday acknowledging that his evacuation decision would not make everyone happy.
“The best thing in the world would be for that hurricane to take a sharp right and go out in the ocean. We would all celebrate,” McMaster said. “But we would rather be safe than sorry.”
Part of the evacuation fatigue is that recent storms have not had a catastrophic impact along the Atlantic Coast.
There were dire possibilities of a Category 4 Hurricane Matthew striking Florida, but that storm made a turn similar to the one forecast for Dorian.
Matthew did cause billions of dollars of wind and flooding damage before coming ashore in South Carolina as a Category 1 storm.
Some of Flory Reddick’s neighbours in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, east of Jacksonville, got flooded during Matthew.
An evacuation order has been made for Dorian too.
But Reddick stayed then and plans to stay now.
“It’s a lot of trouble to get ready and then nothing happens. You know you’re glad. But you think,
wow, I went to all this trouble for nothing, rolling up rugs, taking them upstairs, to only have your roof come off and get everything wet anyway,” Reddick said.
Atlantic Coast states have seamless plans in place thanks to lots of practice. In South Carolina, officials noticed traffic jams on Monday morning as evacuees and tourists heading home on Labor Day filled Interstate 26. In response, authorities reversed lanes about four hours earlier than planned so both sides of the highway were headed inland from Columbia to Charleston.
Twenty years ago, motorists sat on that same interstate for more than 20 hours in traffic jams caused by the evacuation for Hurricane Floyd.
“We certainly know how to do it because we have done it a number of times,” McMaster said.
Georgia is pulling out its wellused plan to reverse the lanes of Interstate 16 out of Savannah starting Tuesday morning. In Florida, tolls were suspended on many freeways with few reports of gridlock or long lines.
In Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, the local emergency manager displayed a map during a televised news conference that showed the entire island under at least 61 centimetres of water if the forecasts are wrong and Dorian moves right over the island at the southern tip of the state.
Mayor John McCann was discouraged walking around the island and hearing people tell him they were tired of leaving and wanted to ride this one out.
Matthew brought hurricane force winds to the island, but it also took days for officials to let people back onto the island.
Residents were angry because neighbours who stayed behind posted pictures and videos on social media of homes that were fine or had only minor damage. Then conditions got worse, and families had to wait to return.
Officials said they learned lessons from Matthew to get people back quicker and communicate better about when the island would be reopened.
McCann on Monday asked anyone thinking about staying to
Glynn County school resource officer Mark Hooper, left, and school support staff member Sheree Armstrong, right, help Elizabeth Scales board a special needs bus Monday at Lanier Plaza in Brunswick, Ga. as hundreds of local residents evacuate the area Monday under mandatory evacuation ahead of Hurricane Dorian.
Right, Gloria Van Cleave embraces her cat Midnight on Monday as she prepares to evacuate from Brunswick, Ga. ahead of Hurricane Dorian.
realize it wasn’t only themselves they put in danger.
“Do the right thing not only for yourself but your neighbours around and the people who have to respond if things go bad,” the mayor said.
B.C. advocates call for heroin buyer clubs
The Canadian Press
A group of people who have real life experience with drug use in British Columbia and Yukon is calling on the B.C. government to support a community-led mechanism for a safe drug supply, in order to combat deaths from poisoning by powerful adulterants like fentanyl and carfentanil.
The BC-Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors is requesting that Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Judy Darcy immediately enact an order that provides a legal framework for drug buyers clubs, starting in particular with diacetylmorphine, or heroin.
The order would fall under B.C.’s Emergency Health Services Act, similar to the ministerial order that allowed for the rapid establishment of overdose prevention sites in December 2016.
The clubs are modelled after the cannabis compassion clubs that emerged in response to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s.
They involve club members pooling resources to make bulk purchases from the safest available supply and then using drugchecking services to ensure better quality control in the distribution of heroin.
“You’re going to get what you’re paying for rather than it being at the whim of the street,” said Kevin Donaghy, the president of the association that launched the call ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day on Saturday, Aug. 31.
Heroin buyer clubs are already starting to take shape in B.C., said Donaghy, who is helping to organize a conference on safe supply that would bring together people who use drugs from across the province in mid-October.
“There’s already an economy that exists in every community across the province where people use substances (and) people are purchasing and selling drugs,” he said.
“It’s a process of testing out these models and we are doing this political work now to try and create a legislative framework that allows us to do this safely.”
Until a legislative framework is established, drug buying clubs will operate clandestinely, which Donaghy said fuels the overdose crisis.
“The reason that people are dying is because of the stigma and because of the fear of repercussions of engaging in drug use or illicit activity,” he said.
People are most susceptible to an overdose when their tolerance is low, such as when a person is in the early stages of drug use or leaving a treatment program or correctional facility, Donaghy added.
“The people most susceptible to fatal overdoses are recreational users (and) people who are not heavy drug users” he said, noting that people from all socioeconomic backgrounds use illicit drugs.
B.C. declared a public health emergency in 2016 following significant increases in opioid-related overdose deaths and in April Dr. Bonnie Henry, the province’s top health official, called for the decriminalization of people caught with illegal drugs.
Decriminalization would help reduce deep-rooted shame and stigmas that discourage people from accessing support services and in turn help to protect them from a toxic supply, Henry said at the time.
Nearly a thousand people died from illicit drug overdoses in 2016, followed by 1,486 in 2017 and 1,510 in 2018, according to the BC Coroners Service.
There were 538 suspected overdose deaths from illicit drugs in the first six months of this year.
“We pause to honour the loved ones who have died in this unrelenting crisis fuelled by a toxic, unpredictable illicit drug supply,” Minister Darcy said in a statement marking Overdose Awareness Day on Saturday. Asked about heroin buyer clubs, Darcy’s office did not respond specifically.
“The Ministry understands the need to provide a variety of treatment options for people with substance use disorder,” a spokesperson said in an email.
“This includes actively looking at expanding legal prescription alternatives to the toxic drug supply that can be provided under medical supervision to save lives.”
B.C. is already an international example for tackling the overdose crisis and implementing harm reduction, said Bruce Wallace, an associate professor in the school of social work at the University of Victoria and a scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research.
However, he said federal approval for the adoption of prescription drugs to ensure a safe supply would take too long.
“Without that safe supply, it’s really been a challenge and we haven’t changed the drug laws throughout this crisis,” said Wallace, adding that B.C. is the best jurisdiction to push the envelope beyond overdose prevention sites and towards establishing a safe supply.
The December 2016 ministerial order expedited the establishment of overdose prevention sites by skirting federal oversight and ensured staff and people accessing the sites were protected from criminal charges, said Wallace, which is why he’s joined the call for a similar order allowing for heroin buyer clubs.
AP PHOTOS
Above,
New recruits help first responders with stress
Laurel DEMKOVICH
The Washington Post
On a recent afternoon, the Fairfax, Va. County Police Department’s newest four-legged recruits were practicing opening doors.
At the entrance to the county government centre, most of the dogs had no problem pushing the handicap button to make the glass door swing out. But Holmes, a 10-month-old golden retriever who has a hard time focusing around other dogs, paused.
“Holmes, touch!” his handler Jill Milloy urged, placing a treat in front of the button. “Touch!”
Holmes sniffed around for a few seconds, while the handlers and instructors held their breath. They were hoping to see improvements at this training session, instructor Randy Nieves said.
Finally, the dog went for the treat and completed his task. The handlers clapped.
“Nice job, Holmes!” Nieves said. “Good boy!”
The department has long used dogs to search for illegal drugs or explosives or to track missing people. But Holmes and his fellow recruits, Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers, will have a far different role. Instead of helping to solve or uncover crimes, they will be tasked with helping first responders cope with the stress of the job.
Departments across the country have had a growing awareness of the toll that responding to crime scenes and traffic accidents and searching for suspects can have on officers and other emergency workers. According to Blue H.E.L.P., a nonprofit organization that tracks officer suicides, more police officers died last year by suicide than the total number of line-of-duty deaths.
“What people don’t realize is we don’t get called when people are having a good day,” said Christopher Sharp, a second lieutenant in the major crimes bureau who is helping to train one of the dogs. “We’re always getting called when people are having their worst day.”
The dogs are just the latest step toward a focus on officer mental health for the Fairfax department.
After a 2006 shooting at a police station that left one detective dead, the department recognized it needed to provide services for officers who experience trauma, Police Chief Edwin Roessler said.
The department hired a risk manager and psychologists. It also created incident support services, which includes a team of psychologists, peer support groups, an employee assistance program and other aspects to support first responders’ mental health.
After a police officer took his own life in 2017 close to the McLean police station, Roessler worked with Jaysyn Carson, director of incident support services, to create a DVD that features first responders talking about their mental health. The chief was among them.
The main message, Roessler
said, is that it’s OK not to be OK. “I, as your chief, suffer, struggle every day,” Roessler explains to his officers. “We all do.”
A little more than a year ago, Roessler met with Roger Giese – founder and chief executive of Fredericksburg-based First Responder K9, which trains service dogs – to discuss a partnership centered on the role dogs could play in helping first responders stay healthy.
The idea was simple: First Responder K9 would provide the dogs, the equipment and the training. The police department would provide trainers and help find first responders who could keep the dogs once they were trained. The department would get to keep two of the dogs.
The five dogs are being trained during the next two years as part of the partnership. They will all be
certified according to Assistance Dogs International standards.
Three of them – Indy, Sully and Lennie – will be given to first responders who suffer from PTSD, depression or have other physical or mental challenges.
Holmes and Jack, though, will work in the field. Their job will be to go to potentially traumatic events and provide comfort for first responders at the scene.
“The dogs are just there to bring the emotional level down,” said Giese, who spent years training dogs for military veterans. “So when first responders go back to their room at night, they can get a more restful sleep.”
Wayne Montaño, fire and EMS liaison for First Responders K9, thinks it will help. He remembers when he was called to the Pentagon on 9/11. Search-and-rescue dogs were there to assist.
“At the end of the day, everyone wanted to pet those dogs, but those dogs were so exhausted from doing their jobs,” Montaño said.
Milloy, Holmes’s handler, is also a clinical psychologist in the police department. When someone experiences a trauma, she said, there are numerous physiological changes that occur that determine how well someone does in recovery, whether the event sticks with them. One of those changes is an increase in a person’s heart rate, which can be one of the predictors of PTSD, Milloy said.
“But when a dog walks into the room, oxytocin is released in the first responder and that interrupts the stress response,” Milloy said. “If you can interrupt, say the heart rate going up, that’s protective for first responders.”
Departments across the country
are making similar efforts to support officers’ mental health. Roessler and Carson have spoken at national conferences and shared their ideas with leadership at other law enforcement agencies.
In April, 300 police chiefs and law enforcement officials from across the country came together to discuss suicide among police officers and how to prevent it. First Responder K9 hopes to expand the organization nationally and said it is in early talks with other departments in the area. The organization’s goal is to get 30 dogs to first responders within the next two to three years, and its partnership with Fairfax County is just part of that, Giese said. The group is training 14 puppies, with more on the way.
The dogs in Fairfax each have their own business card, complete with their photo and their namesake – most dogs are named after a fallen first responder. They are also great ice breakers when officers are in the community, Roessler said, adding that they humanize law enforcement.
At the end of their recent training session, the dogs and their handlers left the government center and were stopped outside by numerous county employees asking to pet the animals. Samantha Hudson, planning and capital projects manager, stopped handler Randy Brooks so she could say hello to Indy, a chocolate Labrador named for the Indianapolis Fire Department.
“You’re making a lot of people’s days,” Hudson said. Brooks smiled. “We’re going to make a lot of people’s lives, too.”
WASHINGTON POST PHOTOS
Above, Lennie waits for his next lesson at the Fairfax County, Va., government centre. Left, Holmes is taught how to trigger an automatic door opener.
Judge them (but not me)
Summer is over and the federal political leaders have spent the summer testing the campaign lines they will repeat continuously from now until election day on Oct. 21. Based on what we’ve heard so far, particularly from Justin Trudeau and Andrew Scheer, this will be a nasty campaign where the leaders will focus on selling themselves as a much better alternative than that truly awful other guy.
Trudeau won’t spend much time campaigning on his accomplishments from his last four years heading a Liberal majority government because the list of wins is rather thin.
Two of the biggest achievements from a legislative standpoint were legalizing cannabis and allowing assisted dying for the terminally ill.
Since both of those things were illegal before Trudeau became prime minister, there was plenty of work that had to be done to draw up a legal framework around cannabis sales and possession, as well as rules and process around assisted dying. That task fell to the attorney general.
Whoops, that was Jody Wilson-Raybould.
If Trudeau and the federal Liberals bring up either legalizing cannabis or assisted dying during the campaign, they will be
careful to whitewash (pun intended) Wilson-Raybould’s central role in both of those accomplishments.
Instead, Trudeau (and to a lesser extent federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party leader Elizabeth May) will borrow a page from the Stephen Harper playbook. Remember all of those “Justin Trudeau – just not ready” ads from the Conservatives that worked so well four years ago that they catapulted the Liberals to a majority? This time around, it’s “Andrew Scheer – just not ready.”
He’s not ready, Trudeau and Liberal candidates across the country will argue from their campaign notes, because he’s just not woke. Never mind 2015, that Scheer guy is 1915, he’s so backward on abortion, same-sex marriage, LGBTQ rights, gender equality, Indigenous reconciliation, climate change, the environment, immigration, guns and all of the progressive issues. Never mind that the Trudeau Liberals are so adamant about expanding the TransMountain pipeline that they bought it from Kinder Morgan. Never mind that there is no abortion law in Canada and the provinces have been each doing what they want, since health falls under the provincial mandate. Never mind that the Liberals have changed their views on abortion, same-sex marriage and LGBTQ rights only since Trudeau be-
came leader. Numerous Liberal MPs voted against same-sex marriage when Harper brought it to a free vote before the House of Commons. Never mind that Trudeau has formally apologized for just about every single one of the transgressions committed by his predecessors but refuses to apologize for either of the ethics commissioner’s guilty findings for conflict of interest against him and his government.
Instead, the Trudeau Liberals will campaigjn for the next seven weeks on demonizing the Scheer Conservatives as intolerant, redneck Doug Ford wannabes.
Out with sunny ways, in with brass knuckle, old school cynical win-at-any-cost politicking.
The Conservatives aren’t much better.
Scheer disappeared for a week when the Liberals rolled out his 2005 speech opposing same-sex marriage and he refused to take part in summer pride parades across Canada. When Scheer finally surfaced last week, it was to offer limp endorsements of the legality of abortion and same-sex marriage and an unenthusiastic pledge to not mess with those legal rights if he and his party form government. He was far more animated, however, about attacking the Trudeau Liberals for their ethical lapses.
Another wasted opportunity for Scheer and the Conservatives to forcefully state a
YOUR LETTERS
Stairs needed
On a recent visit to Connaught Hill Park I discovered how really beautiful it is with all the lovely plantings and great view of the city.
My question is why is there no proper pedestrian access?
Wouldn’t it be great if we had a stair from city hall and George Street as a lunch hour Grouse Grind?
Maybe a project that the city, the developer of Park House and the Wood Innovation Centre could consider.
Jennifer Ferries Prince George
Real responsibility
In response to “Do their duty”, (Aug. 26 Citizen), Dr. Marie Hay makes an interesting observation.
Northern Health has a “fiduciary responsibility” to protect the heath and well being of its citizens, she argues.
Her comment is a focussed negative opinion on the proposed Olefins plastic plant in Prince George.
I would also like to make a more focussed comment on Northern Health.
Northern Health has a fiduciary duty to provide timely access
to specialist care to all residents of northern B.C.
Northern Health has personally failed me in timely access to specialist care several times. I am still alive to write this letter but there are times that I wonder why.
It is very nice that Dr. Hay is concerned about air quality in one particular area of Prince George. It would also be nice if Dr. Hay had a wider view of the world and acknowledged that Northern Health’s “fiduciary responsibility” to water and air care extends to all of northern B.C.
A little care and attention to timely access to health care for all residents of northern BC would be nice.
Wayne Martineau Fraser Lake
Heartfelt thanks
On Aug. 27, my daughter and I got separated at Superstore. Our wires got crossed and I was completely unable to find her, despite searching every inch of the store many, many times.
It turned out I missed one very important inch – the medical clinic, where she was quietly waiting for me.
During this 45 minutes of absolute panic, every staff member provided an amazing amount
of support and assistance. Not only did Superstore staff do an outstanding job but the customers absolutely blew me away with their support. I wish I could have stopped to get every person’s name so that I could thank them all individually. Strangers came up to me asking for pictures so they could search the surrounding areas.
So many people, whom I have never met, dropped what they were doing to help me.
From the man in brown Carhartts searching the parking lot to the woman who asked to simply stand with me to offer comfort in a moment of absolute terror, you are all amazing and I cannot thank you enough.
To the multiple men and women that literally dropped their to-do lists to get a description of my child to start their own search, your kindness is immeasurable.
I have never been so proud to call this my community and you all may never know just how thankful I am for each and every one of you. I will likely never forget the part you all played in last Tuesday’s events. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Rebecca
Brooks Prince George
LETTERS WELCOME: The Prince George Citizen welcomes letters to the editor from our readers. Submissions should be sent by email to: letters@pgcitizen.ca. Maximum length is 750 words and writers are limited to one submission every week. We will edit letters only to ensure clarity, good taste, for legal reasons, and occasionally for length. Although we will not include your address and telephone number in the paper, we need both for verification purposes. Unsigned or handwritten letters will not be published. The Prince George Citizen is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to deal with acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please contact Neil Godbout (ngodbout@pgcitizen.ca or 250-960-2759). If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the web site at mediacouncil.ca or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information.
view polls show a significant bloc of Canadians hold – they do not personally condone abortion or same-sex marriage for a variety of reasons but they not only support but defend the right of their fellow Canadians to make their own private choices on these matters.
In other words, Scheer passed on a glorious opportunity to use the words of Trudeau’s father as a weapon by stating that the federal government has no business in the bedrooms (or the examining rooms) of the nation.
Canadians deserve much better, of course, but the NDP and the Greens aren’t in a position to offer a legitimate alternative. The CBC reports that there are more than 100 ridings across Canada that still don’t have an NDP candidate in place and the Greens seem just as unorganized. If the summer is any indication, Scheer and Trudeau, along with Singh and May, plan to spend the next two months pointing fingers and yelling “what about” at each other. Judge my opponents harshly but give me a pass is the message they all seem to share.
Hopefully something changes between now and Oct. 21 but it’s hard to see childish insults suddenly being replaced by mature, adult dialogue. —
Editor-in-chief
Neil Godbout
Gas report ignores taxes
In the hours before the long weekend, where big news is brought to be buried, the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) painted a frustrating picture Friday of why our gas prices are North America’s highest. It will take much labour beyond Labour Day for the culprits to get the smell from their product off their hands.
The commission ran out of fingers to point, but the most distressing and unsolveable is a wholesale market that “is not competitive,“ an “oligopoly” among four firms with “elements of a natural monopoly.”
That said, that factor does not equate with a fault.
Barriers to entry are formidable, refining is pretty much at capacity, and the report says it would take a lot of new infrastructure to transport, receive, store and distribute meaningfully to affect price.
One presumed suspect exonerated: while prices are “choreographed,” often several times a day, and while this properly frustrates (and, I might add, even raises suspicion among) consumers, the commission found “no evidence” of collusion or “cartel behaviour” among retailers.
There was one mystery the commission could not solve: why there is a nearly 13-cent wholesale price difference in Metro Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest?
Neither “economic theory” nor “known factors in the market” can explain it.
It’s some sort of Bermuda Triangle in which 13 cents magically disappears – ultimately that, and then some, from drivers.
There is also a non-mystery that the commission could not solve: the rationale and impact of government taxes that total more than one-third of the price at the pump.
It was forbidden by the Horgan government to do so, even if it might be Exhibit A in a forensic exploration, even if the BC NDP didn’t necessarily create the issue.
The commission investigation was launched by the premier in May, when prices flirted with $1.60 a litre in Metro Vancouver.
The report reiterates what we hear every year about the phenomenon of late-spring prices.
It debunks the myth of the gas gouge.
It is simply a matter of supply and demand, in which winter gasoline is switched at the refineries to summer gasoline, and summer gasoline is in greater demand.
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The commission turns its attention in the report to some proposed next steps and it is difficult to find much hope, especially anything short-term.
To start, we are driving a little less and will drive even less in the years to come, so the demand for gasoline will diminish. But that’s hardly helpful today, tomorrow or soon.
If industry and government were to invest in greater refining capacity, the cumulative benefits of jobs, supply security, sectoral scale and export options could in turn drive down prices here.
The commission says this has potential, but again, this is not going to happen before the Vancouver Canucks are Stanley Cup contenders.
Besides, even if terminal infrastructure were added, the commission concludes incumbent firms could drop their wholesale rack prices long enough “to prevent new participants from entering.”
Wholesale price regulation is a possibility, in that it could “smooth” the variations in prices.
But in a very rare self-effacing moment for any government institution, the commission actually wonders if “a regulator will do a better job than is currently being done by the oil companies.”
As for retail price regulation, well, the commission is cooler to that idea.
Sure, it could reduce retail margins – some of them justifiable because of the overhead that land value imposes on retailers – and make them more in line with the rest of the country.
But it could also drive away lowcost providers.
Thus, the commission concludes, the “reward” might be less than the “cost” of regulation. What we got Friday was the painful portrait, somewhat understandable and somewhat a riddle, with no examination of government taxes in the mix.
Prices have come down since the furore in May, so it is hard to believe the province will view this as a priority when it will need the revenue for its program spending, for its climate action strategy, and to deal with any economic headwinds.
Shawn Cornell, director of advertising: 250-960-2757 scornell@pgcitizen.ca
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TO THE POINT
KIRK LAPOINTE
Sask. man’s tattoos live after his death
Amanda COLETTA
Special To The Washington Post
Chris Wenzel fell in love with tattoos as a nine-year-old boy, when he helped ink one on his aunt.
His passion endured into adulthood: he became a tattoo artist and eventually ran Electric Underground Tattoos in Saskatoon.
One night, he woke his wife to tell her that when he died, he wanted the art that covered his body to live on after him. Literally.
Chris had found a company that said it could preserve tattoos after death.
His wife warned him about tempting fate.
“You have to watch what you throw out into the world,” Cheryl Wenzel, 41, told him.
“You throw something out into the universe, and the Creator will answer you.”
But she promised to support his wishes: “Whatever you want, my love.”
The Wenzels met as teenagers. They were drawn to each other, Cheryl says, because they were complete opposites. She was finishing high school. He was “a bit of a wild card,” she says, and had been kicked out.
They were together for 23 years and raised five boys. Chris inked five skulls around Cheryl’s wrist.
Chris, who had ulcerative colitis, died of complications from pneumonia in October. He was 41.
His wife rushed to honour his wishes.
Michael and Kyle Sherwood, a father and son, run Save My Ink Forever, a Cleveland business that removes and preserves the tattoos of people who have died.
Kyle Sherwood has three trocars
– the sharp surgical instruments used to drain the body of fluid during the embalming process –tattooed on his leg. They have become something of a family crest, representing the three generations of morticians in the Sherwood family.
Save My Ink Forever grew out of a conversation between Michael Sherwood and some friends, who wondered whether it would be possible to preserve tattoos.
“Any kind of death-related questions, the friends come to us,” Kyle Sherwood says. “It started off as a
joke. But then we started looking into it a little more seriously.”
The Sherwoods developed their process.
A mortician removes tattooed skin, treats it with a preservative provided by Save My Ink Forever, and ships it to Ohio.
At Save My Ink Forever, it takes at least three more months to complete the preservation process. At the end, Sherwood says, the tattoo resembles “a piece of parchment.” It’s framed and returned to the family. For Chris Wenzel, the Sher-
woods traveled to Saskatchewan to supervise the process. Tattoos covered his chest and back, and he had more on his arms and legs.
It was the largest removal that the father-son duo had ever taken on.
Cheryl Wenzel says the chest piece is her favourite because it’s the one she would see most often.
Not everyone was on board with preserving Chris’s tattoos. Several funeral homes turned Cheryl down.
“People that haven’t been tattooed and people that don’t really see it as art had a quick judgment on it,” she says.
The Sherwoods won’t excise face or genital tattoos. They’ve turned down requests to make tattoos into book covers.
“We’re trying to provide some-
thing with dignity and something that’s tastefully done,” Kyle says.
“We’re not trying to be a sideshow circus freak act.”
Wenzel received the tattoos in April. A First Nations medicine man performed a ceremony before a private unveiling for family and close friends.
“It felt like he was at home again and like he was with us,” Cheryl says. “You could feel his presence very strongly.”
She has spent the summer traveling to conventions across Canada to show off the tattoos. This month, she says, she’ll take them to New Jersey.
She plans to eventually hang the pieces in Chris’s studio.
“I’m just sharing my husband’s tattoos with people and helping me heal along the way.”
WASHINGTON POST PHOTOS
Details from two of Chris Wenzel’s tattoos that were saved after his death are shown in these photos.
High-speed spin
Labour Day Classic family fun
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
Like father, like son.
In this case, it was the son who provided the push.
Bryce Gladdish returned to racing Sunday in the 46th annual Labour Day Classic, seven years after he last wore a numbered bib, inspired by the chance to run in the same event as his 12-year-old son Noah. That feeling of inspiration was mutual for Noah after completing his first big race.
“It’s amazing running with him,” said Noah. “I really want to do the Ironman marathon when I grow up.”
The 35-year-old Gladdish, a former Ironman Canada triathlete, placed third in the 8.5-mile (14 kilometres) race Sunday in 56:48, three minutes behind male winner Brian Nemethy of Vanderhoof (53:39), who finished just ahead of female 8.5-mile winner Shar Balogh (54:06).
Noah joined the Prince George Track and Field Club in April, which got him running in a more serious way. He’s hoping to eventually compete as an Ironman triathlete and his result Sunday provided encouragement he’s inherited his father’s running ability.
“It was Noah getting into track and field that kind of pushed me to decide to give it another chance and run with him,” said Bryce. “But it looks like I probably only have another year and he’s going to be beating me, which I didn’t expect.
“I did Ironman Canada the last year it was in Penticton in 2012 and that was actually my last race (before Sunday). It’s been a long layoff. The long hours of training and having kids pushed me away. Now, getting back into town (after living in Prince Rupert for a few years) and Noah starting to run has reinvigorated me, I actually love it again.” They train together, sometimes with Noah’s seven-year-old brother Zavier along for the run, and Noah is already looking forward to his next race, the Terry Fox Run on Sept. 15.
Noah posted the sixth-quickest time (22:51) in the five-kilometre event, a split-second behind fifth-overall Jackson Moleski, 12, whose 11-year-old brother Hunter Moleski placed seventh overall (22:52). The Moleski brothers’ mother, Cara, also got into the act in the 8.5-mile event and finished in 1:20:05, ninth among female runners.
runners
Sunday’s race began under a cloudy sky but by the second lap for the 17-mile (27.3 km) racers the sun had broken through. Andy Wan, 35, won the men’s 17-mile race in 1:54:11, improving on his second-place result last year.
“It was nice for the first loop but then it heated up, I just kept pouring the water on,” said Wan. “The course isn’t tough but there’s some rolling hills. The second loop when your legs are beat up the hills eat at you a bit.”
Wan said the absence of jackrabbits Jim Van Bakel and Zach Matyas made it easier for him to break the tape first. Michael Hess was second (2:09:05) and James McCurdy was third across the line (2:13:14). Wan is training for his 13th marathon when he races in Victoria on Oct. 13.
In her first Labour Day Classic, Tabetha Neudorf captured the women’s 17-mile title (2:28:11) ahead of second-place Robin Levant of Dome Creek (2:30:54) and third-place Lynne Dueck of
Calgary (2:41:57). Neudorf is using Sunday’s race as a tuneup for two 42.2 km races on her hit list this year – the Mad Moose Marathon off-road race at Otway Nordic Centre on Sept. 22 and the Pope’s Peak Adventure Run in Fort St. James, Oct. 20. Nemethy, 58, defended his 8.5mile title from last year. He was able to train outdoors for the race this year, a luxury runners in the area did not have in 2018 when forest fires plagued Northern B.C. with hazardous smoky conditions almost the entire month of August.
“It was much better this time,” he said. “My goal was to be 53 to 54 minutes and I was 53:40, right
on schedule. Shar kept pushing me. She was within 200 metres (at the finish).” Nemethy ran his second Boston Marathon in April and clocked 3:17, four minutes faster than his first Boston race in 2015. He’s a teacher at Nechako Valley Secondary School and he says his students who run cross-country keep him in good shape. One of those students, Nolan McLeary of Vanderhoof, clocked 18:24 as the overall 5 km champion, just ahead of Nicholas Bartell (18:32) and Max Whitehouse (19:30). Jessica Sweely of Vanderhoof was to top female 5K runner in 24:01 with Brynn Witwicki
(24:09) second and Madison Seely of Vanderhoof (24:10) third. Balogh knocked nearly five minutes off her winning time from last year. The difference was, this time she wasn’t pushing a baby stroller. Her now 2 1/2-year-old daughter Olivia was a spectator Sunday. Jenna Stevens (1:02:35) and Carley Billups (1:06:00) were the second and third females across the line. In the 8.5-mile race, Joseph Shea (57:01) and Dale Huzar (1:00:39) joined Nemethy on the male overall podium. A total of 122 racers entered, not including the 15 youngsters who raced a kilometre in the kids fun run.
Kyle O’Donnell spins out the #77 truck in front of Kyle Wozney on Saturday at PGARA Speedway Park as the pair compete in a bucket race during the Labour Day Classic Hit to Pass
CITIZEN PHOTOS BY JAMES DOYLE
Above,
participating in the 8.5 mile and 5 km distance of the 46th annual Labour Day Classic running race take off from the start line at Canada Games Plaza on Sunday morning. Right, Prince George Citizen graphic designer Grace Flack makes her way down Dominion Street on Sunday morning while participating in the 8.5 mile distance of the 46th annual Labour Day Classic running race.
Quiet Seahawks could make noise in NFC West
The Associated Press
There is an unusual and notable lack of noise surrounding the Seattle Seahawks.
The loud personalities of the past are gone.
There are no contract disputes.
The general buzz around the franchise is at a murmur.
There are no outlandish Super Bowl expectations, but there remains a belief Seattle is a good team that should be in the NFC playoff conversation.
After years when Seattle was among the loudest teams in the NFL, it’s a stark change.
“We had so many names that people were paying attention to that were doing so many different things that it’s just kind of different now... I think a little bit of that, too, is I think the league is sleeping on our team,” Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner said.
“They kind of did it last year, but we had lost so many players there was no expectation. This year kind of has that same vibe, but we know what we’ve got in our locker room and know how good our team can be.”
Last season was supposed to be the transition year in a remodel. Instead, the Seahawks found a formula that worked with a revitalized run game, an efficient Russell Wilson and a defence that while taking a step back from the past was still good enough for Seattle to win 10 games and earn a wildcard berth.
Seattle should be able to pick up where it left off, but might not be ready to challenge the Rams in the NFC West.
The Seahawks’ offence could be dynamic with a run game led by Chris Carson and an experienced, veteran offensive line, but will need to find a replacement for the loss of go-to wide receiver Doug Baldwin.
Seattle has one of the best linebacker groups in the NFL led
by Wagner, and may have solved its questions about the pass rush by acquiring Jadeveon Clowney from Houston to pair with Ezekiel Ansah coming off the edge, hoping the duo can be the disruptive answer.
The Seahawks seem to be equal parts potential and questions going into the 10th season with Pete Carroll in charge.
“I’m hoping we can be a very complete team,” Carroll said. “In years past, we’ve been able to be good at a lot of areas and it’s hard to find a way to get at us.”
Here’s what else to watch for the upcoming season:
Locked up
The Seahawks avoided a major distraction by locking up Wilson
to the richest contract in league history in April.
With his long-term future set, Wilson can focus on building off one of his most efficient seasons.
With Seattle producing the best run game in the NFL, Wilson set career highs in touchdown passes (35) and passer rating (110.9) while matching his career low with seven interceptions.
Wilson threw for only 215 yards per game, but that number was similar to the two seasons when he helped lead Seattle to NFC titles.
Wilson’s task will be finding a new No. 1 wide receiver.
Tyler Lockett is coming off a career year, but Baldwin often drew coverage, leaving Lockett open.
Look for rookie DK Metcalf to be another favoured target, but minor knee surgery during training
camp could slow his start.
In the middle
Wagner also got a contract extension at the start of training camp that keeps the four-time All-Pro as the centre of Seattle’s defence going forward. Wagner will team with K.J. Wright and Mychal Kendricks to form what could be the best linebacker trio of Carroll’s tenure. There is depth as well with promising rookie Cody Barton. The three starters will be asked to make plenty of plays with questions elsewhere on the defensive side.
Causing chaos
Seattle lost its primary pass rusher when Frank Clark was
traded to Kansas City, sending away 13 sacks to acquire more draft picks. The Seahawks will also be without Jarran Reed and his 10 1/2 sacks for the first six games because of a suspension.
If healthy, Ansah can be part of the answer.
He’s two years removed from having 12 sacks in 14 games, and Seattle needs that kind of production.
The trade for Clowney may end up being a one-year rental, but is a proven asset that will bolster the pass rush and help draw attention away from Ansah.
Clowney had 18 1/2 sacks combined the past two seasons. Pass rush will be key to take pressure off a secondary that was exposed at times last season.
Rock solid
For a rare change, the offensive line is not a concern.
Seattle returns four of five starters, with veteran Mike Iupati stepping in for J.R. Sweezy as the one change among the starting five. Left tackle Duane Brown continues to play extremely well going into his 12th season.
Germain Ifedi has matured at right tackle and is entering a contract season.
And right guard D.J. Fluker is a massive run-blocking star if healthy.
Back loaded
If Seattle can handle a midseason stretch of challenging tests it could benefit from playing three of its final five games at home, including the final two weeks against division foes San Francisco and Arizona.
But the Seahawks face a tough stretch from Weeks 5 thru 10 with road games at Cleveland, Atlanta and San Francisco to go with home games against the Rams, Baltimore and Tampa Bay.
Cascades striker puts the boot to T-wolves
Ted CLARKE Citizen staff tclarke@pgcitizen.ca
Demian Dron thought it was a clean check.
The 17-year-old rookie UNBC Timberwolves defender was convinced he tackled the ball well within the rules of soccer before the sudden stop sent Fraser Valley Cascades forward Jehmrode Kahlon flying to the turf.
The referee who blew the play dead obviously saw it differently.
He awarded Fraser Valley a penalty shot and Gurmaan Jhaj, the Cascades’ most deadly finisher, made it count when his low shot to the middle of the net got through the wickets of goalie Rob Goodey.
That gave the Cascades a 2-1 edge and they went on to defeat the T-wolves 3-1 on a warm but overcast Sunday afternoon at Masich Place Stadium.
Jhaj, whose 13 goals ranked second in the U Sports Canada West Conference in 2018, scored his first two goals of the season to lead the Cascades to their first victory. Atle Koellmel also scored for Fraser Valley. Michael Henman replied for UNBC.
The Cascades took three of four points from UNBC on the final weekend of the 2018 season to knock the T-wolves out of playoff spot. That rivalry was fresh on the minds of both teams.
“We know it’s always going to be a battle with these guys and they were going to
have a chip on their shoulder because of the past season,” said the 22-year-old Jhaj.
“They’re definitely a good team, they’re one of the better teams with the ball so you always have to be prepared for them and counter on the attack because they like to use their pace.
“We let them back into it and had to battle to get them back.”
The T-wolves knotted the score 1-1 five minutes into the second half. Henman won possession after a corner kick from Smith and from just north of the 18-yard box the UNBC striker booted a high twister into the top left corner of the net.
UNBC had to press for the equalizer after Jhaj’s second goal and the Cascades countered with a late goal in injury time. Koellmel was subbed in late by Cascades coach Tom Lowndes and was rewarded with his first goal of the season when he turned on the jets to beat Joel Watson with an outside move, scoring from 20 yards out.
Both teams now sport 1-2-1 records two weeks into the season.
Last year when the teams met in Abbotsford, Jhaj scored on two of his three penalty shots on Goodey and he used that experience to help him decide what to do Sunday when he lined up for the penalty kick 74 minutes into the game.
“I kind of expected him to dive to one side early, so I decided to go down the middle and it paid off,” said Jhaj. Dron, who had a standout weekend as an
effective defender, did not agree with the ruling which led to the goal.
“I don’t think it was the right call, I lunged in, I poked the ball and the guy sold it a little bit and the ref just blew the whistle,” said Dron. “I don’t know what else I could have done, I thought that was a fair tackle. I think that call should have gone our way, if anything. He dove, in my opinion. I want to see the replay on that one.”
The six-foot-five Dron has played ever minute of his team’s four games this season in the fullback position and he’s looking like belongs in the university league. Not only can he run and keep up with the play but his anticipation and vertical leaping ability are tremendous assets for an undersized T-wolves team.
“I’ve been training a lot to build up my strength and speed so I can match these guys when I come and play,” said Dron.
The T-wolves left the field thinking the officials in red hadn’t given them a fair shake and perhaps they were justified in their thinking.
A couple minutes after the penalty shot, UNBC defender Jonah Smith sent a lead pass to Owen Stewart and he was taken down from behind with the ball on his foot in close scoring range. Stewart managed a weak shot as he was falling which rolled wide on the open side of the net but there was no call made by the officials.
“We have to accept the fact that we can’t control that, but anything I’d say about
officiating takes nothing away from Fraser Valley, I thought they were quite a good team today,” said T-wolves head coach Steve Simonson. “We still created enough. When we went 1-1, I thought we’d go on to win because we were starting to find the spaces we wanted to attack but they made it more difficult today and we were a bit slower than we were on Friday.”
In their previous games this season, the T-wolves have had to play from behind and they had that hill to climb again Sunday when Jhaj converted his scoring chance 21 minutes in. The fifth-year midfielder took a long pass from Tyler Henderson, slipped past his check and booted a low ball in behind Goodey. The T-wolves and Cascades tied 1-1 on Friday.
“We had slow starts in both games but came out strong in both second halves and really took it to them and were positive going forward,” said Smith. “A couple mistakes at the back and they punished us for it. We had a lot of good takeaways from this weekend and we’ll learn from our mistakes.”
The T-wolves will travel to Victoria to play the Vikes in their home-opening weekend Friday and Saturday nights. The Cascades play their next game at home in Abbotsford Friday against UBC-Okanagan. The UNBC women open their season Thursday at noon at Masich Place against the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack.
Third Round Kristina Mladenovic, France, and Timea Babos (1), Hungary, def. Yulia Putintseva, Kazakhstan, and Anna Kalinskaya, Russia, 6-3, 6-2. Zheng Saisai and Duan Ying-Ying (12), China, def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russia, and Anastasija Sevastova, Latvia, 6-4, 6-3. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, and Ashleigh Barty (8), Australia, def. Caty McNally and Cori Gauff, United States, 6-0, 6-1. Mixed Doubles Third Round Rajeev Ram, USA, and Sam Stosur (3), Australia, def. Edouard Roger-Vasselin, France, and Kirsten Flipkens, Belgium, 7-6 (2), 7-5. Sunday Men’s Singles Fourth Round Roger Federer (3), Switzerland, def. David Goffin (15), Belgium, 6-2, 6-2, 6-0. Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgaria, def. Alex de Minaur, Australia, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. Daniil Medvedev (5), Russia, def. Dominik Koepfer, Germany, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (2). Stan Wawrinka (23), Switzerland, def. Novak Djokovic (1), Serbia, 6-4, 7-5, 2-1, ret. Women’s Singles Fourth Round Wang Qiang (18), China, def. Ashleigh Barty (2), Australia, 6-2, 6-4. Johanna Konta (16), Britain, def. Karolina Pliskova (3), Czech Republic, 6-7 (1), 6-3, 7-5. Serena Williams (8), United States, def. Petra Martic (22),
3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. Gael Monfils (13), France, def. Pablo Andujar, Spain, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. Women’s Singles 4th Round Belinda Bencic (13), Switzerland, def. Naomi Osaka (1), Japan, 7-5, 6-4. Donna Vekic (23), Croatia, def. Julia Goerges (26), Germany, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-3. Elise Mertens (25), Belgium, def. Kristie Ahn, United States, 6-1, 6-1. Men’s Doubles Third Round Jurgen Melzer and Oliver Marach (16), Austria, def. Casper Ruud, Norway, and Miomir Kecmanovic, Serbia, 6-0, 6-3. Women’s Doubles
AP PHOTO
Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, centre, yells as players, including middle linebacker
Bobby Wagner, centre left, and defensive back Marquise Blair run a drill, during NFL football training camp in July.
LEE,ELDONE. MAY5,1923SEPTEMBER3,2018 Missingyourloving companionship,gentle guidance,wordsof wisdom,warmhugs, andkindheart.Your caringandhumble naturecontinuetobe aninspirationtoallof us.
Dearlylovedbywife, Marjorie;andchildren, Vickie(Art)Brown, Barb(George)Cruwys, Peter(Chris)Lee, Stuart(Michelle)Lee, andfamilies.
DEBORAH ANN MAKOWSKI passed away in Vancouver B.C. on August 15, 2019 at the age of 62 years. She is survived by her two children; Stacey and Mark Makowski, grandchildren; Christine Contois, Tyrone Makowski and Angel West. Deborah is also survived by her brothers Dominic and Carl Frederick and numerous other family members, She was predeceased by her Son Shane Collins Frederick, Parents Dominic and Teresa (Joseph) Frederick, brothers; Francis Russell, Robert and Michael and Sister Charlotte. A wake gathering will be held on Tuesday September 3, 2019 starting at 10:00 am at 1035 Sewh Road (Shelley) followed by her funeral service on Wednesday September 4th, 2019 at 1:30 pm at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Interment Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park.
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